Next few Women's Prize books.
Nightbloom - Peace Adzo Medie
Told as opposing memories about events. Two inseparable cousins become estranged after a series of events in which they both feel very differently. One leaves Ghana for an American university where she encounters racism which obstructs her career path. The other sets up in business where local politics and corruption become a barrier to her success. Many years later events bring them back together when they discover they both have something in common which explains why they lost touch.
I liked this a lot. It explores race and class in different societies and family dynamics. I loved both main characters. It's well written and compelling.
And Then She Fell - Alicia Elliott
A first nations woman in Canada struggles with her Mohawk identity and what it means in wider society. She married a white academic and moves from the reservation to a posh neighbourhood where she struggles to fit in. She's trying to write a modern retelling of her tribe's creation story at the same time as she is trying to cope with postnatal depression and the death of her mother. As her mental health devolves into hallucinations, her husband dismisses it as all in her head, despite the obvious micro-aggressions from those around her.
I'm really conflicted about this one. It's difficult to read. It's really interesting, but at the same time tries to deal with so many issues of racism, cultural appropriation, colonialism, genocide, sexism, drug and alcohol abuse in indigenous communities, maternity, grief, mental health etc. that it starts to feel like a bit of a tick box exercise that doesn't really do justice to any of them. My initial reaction was not that favourable as it's quite experimental in style and a bit out there. On reflection though, I think there's a lot more to it and it would benefit from a re-read. The last book I felt this mentally battered by was Beloved by Toni Morrison. This will be a marmite book I am sure, but I think on a deeper level it's a very complex masterpiece that will unexpectedly end up blowing the rest out of the water. It's not one of my favourites so far, but deserves a space on the shortlist.
Brotherless Night - VV Ganeshananthan
Set during the early years of the Sri Lankan civil war. A female medical student sees her four brothers caught up in the violence. She ends up working at a field hospital for the Tamil Tigers. She sees atrocities committed by the peace keepers and when her teacher is murdered by one of the Tigers she questions her involvement. She joins a team documenting the human rights violations that they see and this changes the course of her life.
Very solid and competent historical fiction (it starts in 1981 so I feel odd calling it historical).
8 Lives of a Century Old Trickster - Mirinae Lee
An obituary writer encounters an elderly lady in a care home in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. She asks her to sum up her life in 3 words, but the woman tells she she needs 8. She then recounts her life story in the many guises she needed to survive and escape the many events she encountered. The writer is told by others to question how reliable the stories are.
This is fascinating and based on the true story of the author's Great Aunt who escaped North Korea. It's meticulously researched and very readable.
In Defence of the Act - Effie Black
Jess grows up in a very volatile home. As a child she discovers her father after he has taken an overdose. He survives, but this leads her to a career in academia studying suicide. She comes out as a lesbian and struggles with relationships. A catastrophic family event turns her world upside down and leads her to question everything she has believed up to that point.
I really liked this despite dealing with quite sad topics. It deals with suicide very sensitively. It's quite sharp and well observed with some excellent writing.
One from the potentials list
The Story of the Forest - Linda Grant
In 1913 a Latvian brother and sister set off for America, but they get waylaid in Liverpool and then war breaks out keeping them in situ. It then charts the next few generations in Liverpool's Jewish community and how families adapt to changing environments.
Decent historical fiction. I liked it.
One from the Women's Prize Non-fiction List
Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution - Cat Bohannon
Abandoned at 20%. Hands up, I'm a gender critical feminist, I thought this would be an interesting look at female evolution. How wrong I was. Transwomen are shoehorned in constantly, how they are women born without a uterus, how they absolutely are capable of breastfeeding etc. It was getting ridiculous. I looked at a few reviews, one by an evolutionary biologist who tried to be kind, but ultimately called it out for what it is - unscientific and factually incorrect (on several counts, not just the above elements). If someone wants to write about transwomen, all power to them, but don't try to tell me it's female evolution. It made what could have been a very interesting book completely unreadable and I'm astounded I got as far as I did. It lacks any credibility. I haven't read any of the others on the list yet, and have a few I'd like to read, but I couldn't countenance this nonsense. If you like your science on the non-fiction side I'd avoid this for the sake of your blood pressure.
My book club read Black Narcissus - Rumer Godden and hated it. I thought it was beautifully written, but I wouldn't rave about it. It sparked a great discussion on nuns in real life and fiction, mostly our love for Sister Michael in Derry Girls. Quite a few members went to Catholic school and have some quite hairy tales.